The steamy heat caused sweat to drip into our eyes while steam poured out of a locomotive at the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, 507 Mulberry St., in North Judson, Ind.

With a Best-Ever Friend and a Best-Ever Brother who are train fanatics, I have to schedule train trips whenever I can. So joining me and Best-Ever Friend Dave were my brother and sister-in-law, Larry and Dorothy Rose of Troy and Dorothy’s sister and brother-in-law, Helen and Larry Ott of Georgetown, Ind.

Arriving at the museum, we had time before our 1 p.m. departure on the Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive No. 765, so we wandered through the tiny museum depot and then through the train yard to see the rolling stock (train cars) waiting to be restored.

The coolest place was the air conditioned museum where we perused the historic photos and exhibits such as a Wells Fargo record of a waybills ledger from 1895 and the 1927 blue and white centennial china of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The saucer matching the demitasse cup has high sides to prevent liquid from spilling with the swaying of the train.

IF YOU GO: North Judson

It is about 120 miles or two hours
from Kalamazoo.

DIRECTIONS:

Go west on I-94 into
Indiana. Take Exit 40A (US-20E/US-35S) toward LaPorte. Stay on U.S. 35.
In LaPorte, turn right onto IN-2/IN-39. Follow IN-39 to North Judson.
Turn right at the Hoosier Valley Steam Museum sign (Luken Street). Turn
right onto Sycamore. The museum is straight ahead.

Of course, the people stories are fascinating too. One railroad employee, R. L. Herron, a signal maintenance worker at Crown Point, Ind., was cited for heroism on two occasions. In one case, he pulled a little girl to safety after her bicycle tires got stuck on the tracks.

Outside, the steam train pulled in. As it stopped, the crowd jockeyed for position to get the best photo. I climbed the steps of the nearby Grasselli Tower, an interlocking tower more than 100 years old, which is being restored. From the steps you can get a great shot of the engine steaming on the track.

Boarding the train, the six of us plopped into comfortable, cushioned seats, grabbed a pop and a cookie and waited for the ride. Finally, the whistle blew and the train jerked forward.

As we lumbered along, Conductor Joe Kingsbury told us about the history of the area and the railroad. He told stories about Al Capone and other gangsters who sometimes hid out in an area home that Capone had purchased from Marshall Field of department store fame.

Slowly, we traveled through cornfields, trailed by train chasers — people in their cars, hazard lights flashing — following alongside photographing the steam engine as it blew smoke and steam across the countryside.

Dave recalled when he and his friend Marty Biemer spent whole days doing the same thing in Colorado. I told you Dave was a train fanatic.

Then, the train stopped at a rural crossroads to let us off for a photo op. The train did two run-bys so we could photograph it in all of its steamy, smoky glory.

The train backed up, disappearing behind a clump of trees and then the engineer blew the whistle and you could hear the steam building up as the train chugged forward faster and faster. The black smoke and steam spilled out against the bright blue sky as we snapped pictures.

“This makes it all worthwhile,” said my brother, smiling broadly. Didn’t I tell you he was a train fanatic?

Back on the train, we cooled off in the air conditioning as the train steamed back to the depot.

Before leaving, we walked through three restored cars filled with railroad memorabilia, including a scale model of North Judson and the tracks that accommodated up to 125 trains a day.

One last thing before we parted — eating. A depot clerk had suggested two places and we chose the Wooden Nickel Bar and Restaurant, 117 Main St., because of its cute name. With a row of Harley Davidsons parked outside, the restaurant obviously is popular with bikers.

Among the six of us, we ordered two pizzas, a burger, and a chicken sandwich. And a cup of Italian sausage soup was complimentary that day. The soup was thick with rice, tomatoes, beans and sausage — very good. Dave and I had a delicious 12-inch pizza with ham, mushrooms, and onions. Everyone else said their meals were good, too.

On the way out, we talked to the owner, Marsha Gearhart. She asked how we liked the train. Puzzled, I said, “How did you know we were here for the train?”

She said, “Everyone else in here is a biker and you don’t look like bikers.”

Laughing, we piled into our cars and steamed home, thinking of days gone by when steam ruled the rails.